Mario's Time Machine

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Mario's Time Machine
Mark Knight
John Korsrud (NES)
SeriesMario
Platform(s)MS-DOS, Super NES, NES, Microsoft Windows
ReleaseMS-DOS
  • NA: 1996 (Deluxe version)
Super NES
  • NA: December 1993
NES
: June 23, 1994 Microsoft Windows
Genre(s)Educational
Mode(s)Single-player

Mario's Time Machine is an educational video game originally released for MS-DOS and then for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES consoles. The Software Toolworks both developed and published the MS-DOS and Super NES versions in 1993, while the NES version was developed by Radical Entertainment and published by The Software Toolworks in 1994. The Microsoft Windows version was re-released as Mario's Time Machine Deluxe in 1996.

Mario's Time Machine is one of several educational Mario video games that were released during the early 1990s; the game focuses on teaching human history. While the gameplay and engine vary between the three different versions, the story is roughly the same: the player assumes the role of Mario, who uses a time machine to return various artifacts, which had been stolen by Bowser, to their correct points in time.

Mario's Time Machine received mixed to negative reviews since its release. Its use as an educational title has been mixed, and the game has been compared to another educational history game, Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?[by whom?]

Gameplay

Screenshot of the Nintendo Entertainment System version of Mario's Time Machine.

Mario's Time Machine is set in the year 1993.

password system to order to resume play from a particular game state
.

The player begins Mario's Time Machine in Bowser's museum. The museum is the main

mushrooms. Collecting enough mushrooms will transport Mario to the time period and location programmed into the Timulator. The player is given a short document describing the life and notability of the historical person associated (e.g. Isaac Newton), but the document itself has some of its terms missing. The player thus is required to converse with the non-player characters depicting the local denizens of the time period in order to learn various facts and be able to fill in the blanks. The player chooses the words from a list of pre-determined words; if the player incorrectly fills a blank more than twice, he is sent back to 1993 and is required to try again. When the player fills all the blanks correctly, he can then successfully return the artifact to its original owner.[1] In the game's ending cutscene, Mario manages to confront Bowser, who then steals back the Timulator to make his escape. At this point there are three possible outcomes based on the player's overall performance: in the worst outcome, in which the player fails to return the artifacts quickly enough, Bowser successfully escapes to an area known as Paradise; in the other two outcomes, the Timulator experiences mechanical overload, sending and trapping Bowser in the Jurassic era
.

The NES version of Mario's Time Machine has a heavier emphasis on platforming than the other two versions. Despite the presence of enemies, Mario cannot lose

lives or even take damage, so obtaining a game over is impossible. To obtain an artifact in Bowser's museum, the player plays a Mario Bros.-inspired minigame in which he fights Koopa Troopas. The player can then use the Timulator and travel to one of the fourteen selectable time periods. Unlike the other versions, the player is not explicitly told which time period the artifact originated from. The player is instead encouraged to explore the time periods and obtain hints, either from local denizens or from message blocks. Once the player figures out the artifact that belongs in that time period, he can then place the artifact in its original spot. After all the artifacts have been returned, the player is tasked to answer three random multiple choice questions pertaining to the historical periods visited. Answering the questions correctly will lead the player to the final boss
fight with Bowser. The player wins the game upon Bowser's defeat.

Development

To capitalize on educational games, which gained popularity at the time, Nintendo partnered with The Software Toolworks to develop educational Mario games. Nintendo licensed the characters, but the company nor Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto were not involved in the game’s development. The MS-DOS and Super NES versions were developed by The Software Toolworks and published by Mindscape, while the NES version was developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Mindscape. Mario's Time Machine was originally released for computers in 1993, with a deluxe re-release titled Mario's Time Machine Deluxe in 1996. It was later released for the Super NES in December 1993, and for the NES on June 23, 1994.[2][3][4][5]

Reception

Since its release, Mario's Time Machine has received mixed reviews. GamePro praised the game's dialogues with historical figures, commenting that "the scenarios make flesh-and-blood human beings out of people who are usually just static pictures in textbooks". They criticized that the Timulator controls are too confusing, especially for the game's targeted age group, but nonetheless summarized the game as both enjoyable and educational.[14] Nintendo Power gave it a 2.65 out of five, while Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it a 6.75 out of 10.

GamesRadar commented that those who like this game may like Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, which they gave a negative review to.[17] They later suggested that it was an unpopular game, commenting that "five, maybe six people played the NES version of Mario's Time Machine".[18] ABC Good Game called it "awful", and was "way too complicated for any school-aged youngster to understand".[19] Nintendo of Canada included a sealed copy of the NES version as part of a charity auction along with several other sealed NES games.[20] In the book Video Games: A Guide for Savvy Parents, author David Sheff found the educational elements good, but criticized the gameplay.[21]

Authors David Wesley and Gloria Barczak associated Mario's Time Machine with the recent "flood of ill-conceived Mario spin-offs", arguing that these games nearly destroyed the Mario license.

Allgame's Brett Alan Weiss called the action scenes "dreadfully dull" and the presentation "merely average".[6] He added that while he does not dislike educational games, they must be both entertaining and enlightening.[24] IGN's Levi Buchanan included it in their assessment of the "other Mario games", implying that the premise was boring and criticizing the game for lacking any real platform gameplay. He commented that it had "honorable intentions", but that it was "decidedly shallow". He also criticized the act of putting Mario in realistic time periods, commenting that he "occupies the imagination, a place with Star Festivals and giant piranha plants".[1]

Notes

  1. ^ In Electronic Gaming Monthly, three critics rated Mario Time's Machine 7/10, another 6/10.[7]
  2. ^ GamePro gave Mario's Time Machine two 3.5/5 rating for graphics and control, 3/5 for sound, and 4/5 for fun factor.[8]
  3. ^ GameStar's review was primarily by a writer that scored it 75%, with a "second opinion" on the side with a 70% rating.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Buchanan, Levi (2008-08-21). "The Other Mario Games, Vol. 4 - Super NES Feature at IGN". IGN. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  2. ^ "Mario's Time Machine Deluxe for PC". GameSpot. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  3. ^ "Mario's Time Machine Release Information for NES". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  4. ^ "Mario's Time Machine Release Information for SNES". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  5. ^ "Mario's Time Machine Deluxe Release Information for PC". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  6. ^ a b Alan, Brett (2010-10-03). "Mario's Time Machine - Overview". allgame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  7. ^ Semrad, Ed; Carpenter, Danyon; Alessi, Martin; Sushi-X; Weigand, Mike (November 1993). "Mario's Time Machine". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Vol. 10, no. 11. p. 42. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  8. ^ "ProReview: Mario's Time Machine". GamePro. No. 55. IDG. February 1994. p. 116.
  9. ^ Chimera; Steve (June 1994). "Mario's Time Machine". GameStar. No. 1. pp. 66–67. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  10. ^ Simane, Kirron (March 1994). "Mario's Time Machine". GameZone. No. 17. p. 33. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  11. ^ Tanser, Sarah (March 1994). "Mario's Time Machine". Super Play. No. 17. pp. 42–43. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  12. ^ Dane (February 1994). "Mario's Time Machine". Total!. No. 26. pp. 44–45. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  13. ^ Mizell, Leslie (January 1995). "Mario's Time Machine Deluxe Review". CD-ROM Today (11): 118. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  14. ^ "ProReview: Mario's Time Machine". GamePro. No. 55. IDG. February 1994. p. 116.
  15. ^ Altano, Brian; Miggels, Brian (August 14, 2009). "The Worst NES Endings, and Why We Deserved Better - Page 1". GameSpy. Archived from the original on August 15, 2009. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  16. ^ "GameSpy: Mario is Evil - Page 1". Wii.gamespy.com. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  17. ^ Words: Jem Roberts, Xbox World 360 UK (4 June 2009). "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Review, PC Reviews". Games Radar.com. Retrieved 2011-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ "The ever-changing sizes of Mario and Bowser". GamesRadar. 8 October 2008. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  19. ^ "Good Game Stories - Edutainment". www.abc.net.au.
  20. ^ Miller, Ross (2008-05-30). "Nintendo of Canada offers sealed NES, SNES, Game Boy titles for charity auction". Joystiq. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  21. ISBN 9780679752820
    . Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  22. ISBN 9780566091674
    . Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  23. ^ Swift, Janet (1994-02-11). "Computers: Teaching children to teach themselves: The latest generation of 'edutainment' programs can keep children as engrossed as their favourite shoot 'em up. Janet Swift looks at indoor attractions for half-term - Gadgets & Tech, IndyBest". The Independent. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  24. ^ Alan, Brett (2010-10-03). "Mario's Time Machine - Review". allgame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved 2011-01-19.

External links

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